Tasting Notes

Mil Historias Malbec is our second wine from this terrific Bodega in off-the-beaten-track Manchuela, in Spain. It has intense aromas of mulberries, blueberries and hints of dark chocolate, leather and spice.

The flavours are equally intense, there is blueberry and dark cherry fruit together with dark chocolate, espresso, liquorice and black pepper hints. This full-bodied red has a lovely full, savoury and very complex finish. It is structured with ripe tannins and excellent fruit balance. This organic Malbec is a definite rival to the Malbecs of Argentina and France.

Mil Historias Malbec literally means a thousand stories and this range of wines from Bodegas Altolandon, one of the highest vineyards in Spain, are made from single varietals; all are organic and we stock their Bobal and Malbec.

This wine is produced by Manolo Garrote (who is an agronomist) and his wife Roselia Molina who is the winemaker. The vineyards and winery are situated in the hills well inland from Valencia near Cuenca.They began with 6 hectares in 1999 and now have 120 hectares of vineyard, and a purpose build winery in the centre of the vineyards. The altitude of the vineyards at 1100 metres, benefits the grapes with large diurnal variations, which encourage even ripening and also helps their natural acidity and freshness in this hot, continental climate area of Spain. Bodegas Altolandon have built a strong reputation and are probably the leading producer in DO Manchuela.

Organic production means a sustainable way of growing grape vines, with care and attention to the soils and environment for the longer term. They do not use any synthetic fertilizers and practice “green pruning” which restricts the yield to around 2 kilos per vine, which concentrates the aromas and flavours of the grapes. The grapes are hand-harvested into 12 kilo cases and reach the winery in optimum condition. They are vinified as naturally as possible with native yeasts. After fermentation the wine is placed in 3rd fill 225 litre French Oak barrels, where a malolactic fermentation occurs. The wines are then aged in French oak for 4 months, with some in clay amphora to retain purity, and build complexity. Finally they are bottled and have an eye-catching label which captures the natural and organic production.

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